Room 789
by Cornedbeefsandwich
Summary: The Hamilton crew is in college. Nothing but the names are historically accurate. Lams. I'm really bad at summaries sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Alexander Hamilton

Walking up to the building that was to be my home for the next five years should have been a pretty nerve-wracking experience, I'm sure it was for a lot of people, however, it happened to me at half past seven on a Sunday morning and, quite frankly, I can't function that early. I knew that I would be with my two best friends from high school and this other kid, so I wasn't bothered.

With great difficulty I dragged my bags up 8 flights of stairs. We have 7 buildings at King's college, each with 8 floors. It just so happened that I had the top floor and therefore, the most stairs.

I knew Herc and Laf had moved in the night before and probably claimed the best bedroom, leaving me with the new kid. Quickly praying that he was nothing like Jefferson before I pushed open the door.

The second I stepped into the apartment I caught a whiff of chocolate, mixed with the unmistakable smell of coffee. My favourite combination. With a small squeal I dropped my bag and ran towards a small room lit by a dim yellow glow, a faint conversation drifting from it. As I rushed through the doorway my foot caught on a bag of groceries that Laf must have picked up on the way here and plummeted towards the floor. As I was nearing my doom (also known as the floor) I felt a pair of hands wrap round my waist and catch me before I landed. With a sharp tug upwards, the person brought me to my feet so I was standing in front of them but facing away with their arms still around my waist. In front of me stood my two rather confused friends.

The first was Hercules Mulligan. Herc joined Kings Elementary when he was six so often acted superior because 'he was the original'. He was here on a partial scholarship which was paying his tuition fees for him. He'd apparently got a part-time job as a bartender in The Black Horse and was planning to set up and run a small online tailor business from apartment 789 (our apartment). Back in high school he made the prom dresses for the Schuyler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Margarita- also known as Peggy.

On Herc's left stood Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Otherwise known as Lafayette. Laf moved from France because his parents died and he joined Kings Elementary school aged 7. A year after Herc. His side of the room that he shared with Herc (I knew it!) was already decorated with iconic French and American scenes and souvenirs.

That left the mysterious stranger stood behind me, who I assumed was our other roomate.

"They probably shouldn't move that bag, it gives me a great excuse to hold an attractive guy like this." came a soft velvety voice, tickling my ear.

"Smooth, man" I said, turning around and coming face to face with a shortish boy. He had intelligent looking, hazel colored eyes and a very slim frame. A deep red hoodie about four sizes too big hung from his shoulders, and a loose pair of faded jeans came down to the floor. His dark, not quite black hair, framed his face and a slight smile toyed at the side of his mouth.

He was absolutely gorgeous.

"Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton." He offered.  
"John Laurens" I replied, "In the place to be"  
"I am Hercules Mulligan. I need no introduction, but here's one anyways"  
"J'mappelle Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Mais vous pouvez m'appeler Lafayette."

 _My name is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. But you can call me Lafayette._

Shot Laf, in a fast convoy of words that neither me nor Herc understood.

"Yo, Laf. English please. We don't all speak French." Complained Herc.

"C'est bon. Ma mère m'a appris le français. Il est très agréable de vous rencontrer Lafayette." Alex said, without any hesitation.

 _It's good. My mother taught me French. It is very nice to meet you Lafayette._

At this, Laf's eyes grew wide and he rushed forward to embrace Alex. Although I knew it was a purely platonic gesture, I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy for this guy that I met only minutes ago.

" Toute personne qui peut parler cette belle langue est bonne avec moi, Mon ami"

 _Anyone who can speak this beautiful language is good with me, my friend._

At this, Alex blushed slightly and murmured something about unpacking before hastily walking away.

 **Heyyyyyy, this is my first fanfiction so I don't know how good it is. I'll hopefully figure out how to upload chapters but if I can't then this'll be a one paragraph story. I'm actually British but I'm gonna try use American phrases and stuff. Writing color instead of colour physically** **hurt.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo! I figured out how to upload chapters so... yeah. Thanks so much to 'Guest' for reviewing. It meant a lot to me :)**

The story of tonight

It took much more effort that necessary to unpack that night, especially with Alex sitting on the bed writing.  
"What are you writing?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.  
"Just some stuff for school, an English paper based on the curriculum and then I'll move on to a law essay."  
"Dude, we have 3 days before school even starts. I'm done now and I think Herc's ordering pizza. Come join us."  
Alex half-heartedly put his exercise book down before standing up and stretching. He brought his arms back down from behind his head and locked eyes with me, before we both quickly turned away. I could feel a warm blush spreading up my cheeks and slowly cover my freckled nose.  
"Should we go eat th-"  
I was interrupted by Alex's stomach growling, before we both erupted into laughter. In a silent agreement Alex grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the kitchen. As we shot through the door into the kitchen table, I saw Laf give me an uncharacteristically stern, disapproving look before noticing our clenched hands and smiling knowingly.  
After we ate Laf suggested that a movie would be nice and after giving Herc 'The Hobbit' to put on, he went back to the kitchen to get the popcorn and a case of beer.  
"John! Please come and help me with this, mon ami" I trudged into the kitchen and saw Laf sitting on the counter, smiling smugly  
"What's wrong?" I groaned, annoyed that I had to be the one to help.  
"I saw you before dinner, mon ami. You were blushing like a tomato and holding hands like you would not have tomorrow."  
"Like tomorrow won't arrive?" I suggested.  
"Stupid American phrases! It does not matter. I still saw you before dinner."  
I sighed. It was true, I liked Alex. A lot. But there was a very slim chance that he would feel the same.

Laf smirked, knowing that he was right before nimbley jumping off the counter and running into the living room, giving everyone a beer and bowl of popcorn, and flopping down next to Herc. That left me with Alex, on a chair that wasn't quite big enough for the two of us. He was snuggled into a blanket and looked blissfully content. I sat down next to him and noticed him smiling goofily at me before he said  
"I've never seen 'The Hobbit' before"  
After a couple of seconds of fumbling, Herc pressed play and the movie began.  
"Like, Tauriel's an elf. She should be able to stop them from killing Kili. But Thorin should have stopped him from pursuing the orcs when they killed Fili." Alex said, a strong carribean accent showing now he was drunk.  
"Yo Tauriel! You messed up!" Herc yelled at the screen. He'd started slurring his speech after about four beers.

To be honest, it looked pretty funny seeing Laf leaning on Herc, half asleep. Herc trying and failing to not wake him and Alex, still bundled up in the blanket, gesturing wildly.

By the end of the film I declared Herc and Laf a lost cause and left them clinging to each other on the couch, asleep. Alex, however, looked light enough to carry back to his own bed so, after chucking the empty bowls in the sink and switching the lights off, went over to Alex and, threading one arm behind his back and the other beneath his legs and lifted him up. His arms wrapped protectively around my neck and he nuzzled his face into my chest. I laid him down on his bed and let go of him but he refused to let go, so I gently pushed him over and lay on the bed with him.

 **I'm gonna try upload at least once or week when school starts but until then it'll hopefully be daily. See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heya folks. I wikihow-ed it and saw how many people actually read my work and, wow. That's more people than I could list off the top of my head. Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed. To PJOANDHP4life, you're welcome! And to Hamiltrash55, I'm glad you're willing to wait for it (finger guns). Let's go!**

The Schuyler sisters

When I woke up the next morning I was in an unfamiliar bed, with... Alex... I remembered last night and groaned.

"Mornin' sunshine" Alex grunted, sitting up with his hand clasped to his head in obvious pain. I knew it was a hangover. As I was going to the medicine cabinet for aspirin I heard a quiet  
"About last night..."  
"Don't worry about it. You were drunk."  
"Didn't mean anything, honest"  
I felt my heart drop.  
"Oh, Ok. Sure"  
"I'm gonna go make some coffee" He said decidedly. I wasn't having it.  
"You're staying here."  
Despite his indignant groans I handed him the aspirin and a glass of water and forced him to lie back down. I went into the kitchen and got four cups of coffee ready. Black for Alex, milk with no sugar for Herc, a sugary latte for Laf and a black coffee with an abundance of sugar for me. Hey, if I was gonna work as a barista then I had to practice! I got two more aspirin and two glasses of water ready and carried them to where Laf and Herc were still sleeping.  
"WAKE UP!" I yelled, kicking the sofa, I heard a primitive noise come from the tangle of limbs followed by a protest of  
"But we have hangoverrrrr"  
"I brought aspirin and coffee." At this, the two boys sat up and grabbed the tablets, washing it down with the coffee, completely ignoring the water. I heard a satisfied moan from Laf and a chuckle from Herc.  
"Hurry up and get ready. We're meeting the Schuyler sisters in twenty-five minutes. We overslept"

Alex rushed into our room whilst I grabbed my clothes and made a beeline for the bathroom. I realised that I forgot a shirt so walked topless back into the bedroom and came face to face with a shirtless Alex. He gave an almost inaudible wolf whistle before I felt a heavy weight on my head.  
"There you see her. Sitting there across the way. She don't got a lot to say but there's something about her..." Herc trailed off from his song as he saw Alex's expression, a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.  
"We were getting there Herc." He whined "You ruined the moment".  
Wait. What was Alex saying?! Were we gonna kiss or something? I couldn't think of anything else in the world that I would rather do. But Herc stopped that from ever happening. I grabbed a shirt while Alex struggled with his hair, I watched him struggling for a while before he looked at me and smiled sheepishly, dangling a snapped hair tie from his hand in obvious disgust. I smiled and grabbed a new one before walking behind him and gently tying his hair up, thinking about how nice it would feel to run my hands through it.  
'You can't think that' came a small voice from the back of my head and, as much as I hated it, it was right. Alex must just have been joking about the kiss that would have happened.

10 minutes later and everyone was looking vaguely presentable. We all threw ourselves into Herc's car and drove (probably over the speed limit) before screeching to a stop in front of a local burger joint. We fell out onto the street and stumbled into the building, coming before five girls, looking rather amused.  
The first was Angelica, the eldest of the Schuyler sisters. She was president of the debate team and was studying law, sociology and psychology. She was engaged to John Church and the plan was to get married when they both graduated the next year. Eliza was the middle child and always joked about it being unfair. She was a volunteer at the animal shelter and got the main role in the school play the previous year, which she completely nailed. She wad studying biology, medicine and psychology because she wanted to be a paediatrician, a job which would suit her very well.  
Peggy was in our year and it was through her that we knew the Schuyler family as well as Maria and Theodosia. She would be working as a barista with me when the school year started and we all knew she would be captain of the hockey team. She was currently dating Stephen van ressaeler.  
We knew Maria through Eliza, as the two were pretty close friends and she was the sort of person everyone liked. It was the same with Theo, it was just a shame that she was dating Aaron Burr (One of Thomas' lackeys).

My thoughts were interrupted by a small giggle from Maria and a snort from Peggy when they heard Alex's stomach growling.  
"We should probably go eat then" sighed Angie, eying Alex up as though the could tell his every secret from looks alone before smirking.  
"Seems someone's hungry.


	4. Chapter 4

**'Sup. This would be longer buthan it's been a long day and I can't be bothered. To be honest, I don't know where this story is going but, as Lafwould say, c'est last vie. Thanks so much to ANDPEGGYOnBreakSince1801, glad you like it. And LunaLovegood220022, tell me about it.**

Hurricane

Lunch that day was amazing. Everyone had a blast and we left stuffed. It would probably be the best meal we'd have after school had started so we all made the most of it. Angelica made the executive decision that we would go to the park afterwards and we stayed there all day, basking in the sun and romping around like little kids again. It felt great to be lying under a tree on a day like this. Just like being back in South Carolina. I lay down next to Alex, who was stretched out like a cat, smiling blissfully. I reached into my bag for the sketchbook that I carried around with me and started drawing him.

At around seven o'clock, we all started getting hungry, so we went back to the building that we were all in, stopping at a Chinese restaurant on the way. The girls were in room 776 and after we said goodbye, we carried on up to 789.  
After tea that night we all went to bed early because we had last minute school shopping to do the next day and, the earlier we could do that, the sooner we could go on a Disney marathon, you're never too old for a Disney marathon.

I woke up that night to a clap of thunder and a quiet whimper coming from across the room. I looked at the clock, which read 2:37 before rolling over and closing my eyes again. The next clap of thunder came with a blinding flash and I felt a small, soft object come flying at me and latch onto my arm whimpering and quivering as it lay there. I looked down into the dark eyes of Alex, open in terror and looking helplessly lost. Without a second thought I pulled him into the bed and covered him with the blanket, holding him and rocking him gently as he relaxed into me, remaining, however, alert and scared.  
"What happened?" I said, in as gentle a voice as I could muster. He looked into my eyes, almost, seeing if I was trustworthy before stating in a wavering voice "I come from a small island in the Carribean, I was born into a poor family who struggled to feed me and my brother. When I was ten my father left because we were debt ridden and two years later me and my mother were confined to our beds, we were half dead, sitting in our own sick. I recovered but my mother... d-died. I moved in with my cousin who was dealing with some stuff and one day I walked in to him dangling from the roof rafters. So I became a clark for a landlord and had got put in charge of a trading charter when I was fourteen. When I was seventeen a hurricane raged through the island, destroying everything and killing everyone. People I knew lay dying in the streets, without their loved ones and I was the only survivor. The island, and everyone one it was gone. Forever. I wrote about the hurricane and someone from Kings college happened to read it so I got in here on a full scholarship." I could feel my tears running down my cheeks and his tears dampening my shirt.  
"Shhhh, it's Ok, you're here, with me. This is only a little spot of rain. It'll soon blow over." At this he calmed down a little and loosened his grip a little, still not fully letting go. He tensed up suddenly when our door flew open and Herc stormed in  
"Did you hear? It's a hurricane out there. We'll probably get a couple of days off school if it carries on." At this, Alex heaved a sob and started crying again. I grabbed a book off the bookshelf and threw it at Hercules as he sprinted out of the room, realising that Harry Potter would soon be flying at his head.

I struggled to calm Alex down after that, and spent the rest of the night with him cuddling into me.

 **Poor Herc, he didn't know. It's gonna get really cute (hopefully) and (forgive me if this is the wrong word) fluffy?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Glad you caught the reference and I'm really happy that I got the right word. I've kinda been dreading this chapter 'cause it's rated T and I have to be real careful what I say but without sugarcoat ingredients it too much. Not to mention it's 00:17 right now and I spent all day entertaining my 6 year old cousin.**

Helpless

Herc walked in with two milkshakes the next day, as a form of apology for the previous night. Alex claimed chocolate and I chose strawberry, which sparked the age old 'chocolate vs vanilla' argument, but with strawberry.  
"Prove it" I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. At this he pushed his straw towards me and let me take a mouthful. He looked smugly at me, almost daring me to deny him superiority, so I took a big slurp of mine before letting him taste it. He looked at me pensively before wondering aloud what they tasted like mixed together. I thought about it for a moment before saying "This" and kissing him squarely on the lips. He tasted of chocolate and strawberry (obviously) with a slight minty undertone.  
He pulled away first, looking slightly awestruck.  
"We have stuff to do today." He murmured  
"It can wait." I replied, pulling him onto my lap. I reached into his hair and started tangling it around my fingers, he let out a small gasp and I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He gently pushed my shoulders so I was lying down and he flung one leg over me and started unbuttoning my shirt.

Twenty minutes later we were lying under the sheets, breathless, ignoring the pitter-patter of rain on the window.  
"We really do have things to do today." Alex said, sitting up and reaching for his boxers.

We walked out of our room into the living room and were immediately met with Laf and Herc sat on the couch and smirking.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Oh, Alex!" Herc mimicked.  
"John!" Replied Laf and started to fake make out with Herc. At this, I thought back two days and started singing 'kiss the girl'. They both turned cherry red but didn't move away, instead, Laf leant in and lightly brushed his lips against Herc's, whose eyes widened in shock before he too leant into the kiss.  
"Ewwwwww, you guys."Alex said, "We have stuff to do."

 **Time to finally sleep. I haven't slept in what feels like a week, I am weak but still awake. You've never seen a legitimate person with both parents still alive more in need of a break. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about the last chapter, I know everything happened kinda quickly and, to be honest, that's because I kinda gave up halfway through. Sorry 'bout that.**

What comes next?

When the four of us stepped out of our apartment, we never expected professor Washington to be walking around, putting up posters saying 'Classes cancelled because of hurricane'.  
"Oh. Hello boys, you probably shouldn't go outside 'til the hurricane stops. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you." He said in a quiet but authoritive voice, almost as though he was telling us to stay inside.  
"Merde" muttered Laf under his breath.  
"I do speak a little French Mr Lafayette." Retorted Washington, suppressing a smile as Laf blushed slightly. I quickly dragged the others back into the apartment.  
"Sooooo. What the heck we gonna do?" Said Herc, asking the obvious question.  
"Lord of the rings?"  
So we sat there for ten hours straight, watching the full lord of the rings trilogy.  
"Frodo's pretty hot" Alex said, looking thoughtfully at the screen. I looked at him and lightly punched his arm, he grabbed my fist and leant over me in order to tickle him but I was quicker. Seconds later, he lay on the floor in hysterics before yelling  
"Ok! Ok! Frodo's hot, but I like you more."  
I sat back down on the sofa. A satisfied smile plastered on my face. Alex sat back down and I draped my long legs over him, Laf watched from the other sofa, bemused, but Herc looked over, eyes like daggers and shushed us.  
"I can't hear it you guys" He moaned.  
So we watched in silence until the end.

"We're here!" declared Angelica, waltzing in with Peggy. The two had been invited over to help ease the boredom.  
"Jesus, I thought our apartment was high up" Peggy whined, dropping down onto the floor and sprawling herself out to cover a fair bit of the floor.

We all got pizza and spent the rest of the  
day messing around. We had all promised to keep our new relationships secret from the girls. Everyone knew I was gay, but the others hadn't told the sisters before.  
"Do you know who your neighbours are?" Peggy asked from her position on the floor. We all looked at each other. Who were our neighbours anyways?  
"I heard Madison complaining about having to climb all those stairs yesterday. He told us he was in room 788 with Jefferson and Burr."  
I sighed. Of course we had to have Jefferson as a neighbour. Typical. But it did leave room for some, as Angie put it, 'mischievous endeavours'. To be honest, playing knock-a-door run was the most exciting thing we did, but beggars can't be choosers. We all collapsed onto the floor. Laughing.

All of a sudden, a phone started ringing. My phone.

"Hello Jacky."

 **CLIFFHANGER! Mwhahahaha.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I couldn't think of a good name for this. Dear PJOandHP4life, I'm glad you were willing to wait for it. I hope you're satisfied and that you'll be back for more. I don't think I'll add any character death, they'll all just stay alive. Would that be enough?**

You'll be back

"Father" I replied in a curt voice, my jaw clenched.

"Martha wanted to call you to see if the hurricane had affected you."  
"And you refused to let her talk to her brother?!"  
"I refuse to let you influence her." I winced at this. I had already been disowned. The only reason he was paying my tuition fees was because Martha told him that she'd kiss a girl if he didn't. And Henry Laurens, the senator for South Carolina, was scared of this.  
"Who is in your room, Jacky?" Came my father from the other end.  
"Hercules Mulligan and Lafayette."  
"That French boy and the tailor? Are they the reason you're like this?" He spat. I stood in defiant silence for a few seconds.  
"Anyone else I should know about?"  
"A boy named Alexander."  
"Does he have a girlfriend?"

I saw red. This man had no control over me anymore. What did it matter to him if Alex was dating a girl?

"No he doesn't. He's my boyfriend and, and, we did it last night . So you can take your homophobic views and stick them where the sun don't shine! I tolerated years of abuse from you because you didn't like who I was. You beat me! I still have the scars! If you truly believe that I care what you think, you're wrong!"  
I slammed my finger down onto the 'end call' button and threw my phone at the wall, sinking down to my knees and sobbing. I promised myself not to anger him more than necessary in case he hurt one of the kids. The living room was silent. They definitely overheard me. There was a knock at the door so I hauled myself up and went to answer it.  
"I came to ask if you're ok? Oh, and Thomas said he would put some really bad music on if you don't 'shut the hell up'" Said Aaron Burr from the doorway, using his fingers like speech marks, a concerned look on his face.  
"Yeah, everything's fine. Sorry about the pranks before."  
"Cabin fever, huh?" He nodded sympathetically before heading back to his room.  
"Aaron?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."

I stepped back into the room and saw everyone's eyes on me. I sat down on the floor next to Alex. He gently wiped my tears away with his thumb and I leant into him as he rubbed small soothing circles into my back with his other hand. Herc stood up, the sudden movement causing me to jolt upright, the reminders of beatings in the past fresh in my memory. I heard Herc sit back down felt a warm mug of hot chocolate get pressed into my hands. I took a slow sip, savouring the sweet liquid and Alex's voice whispering in my ear. Both Angie and Peggy got up, sensing tension. Peggy leant down and gently pressed a kiss to my forehead before letting herself and her sister out.  
I felt Laf's strong arms lift me up and carry me to bed, I instinctively buried my face in his chest until he laid me down. I sat in bed for a few minutes, sipping the hot chocolate before Laf nudged Alex towards me and he sat down next to me. I sank down below the sheets and placed my head on his lap. I felt him reach over to the bedside cabinets and grab his notebook and pen. Herc came in with a stuffed turtle that he had been working on and presented it to me.

I woke up later with my head still on Alex's lap and his fingers tangled in my hair, snoring quietly. I noticed his notebook on the bed and moved it back onto the cabinet, resisting the temptation to read what he had written. I rolled over and promptly fell back into a deep slumber.

 **Awwww, poor John. It just ain't fair.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey. I've start school on Wednesday so, that should be fun. I've got 3 science teachers (chemistry, biology and physics) and bringing the right books to the right lessons will be really? REALLY hard. I'm also gonna be starting GCSE astronomy which will definitely not be extra stressful. Sorry if it seems like I'm ranting. Enjoy the story :)**

Washington on your side

The hurricane stopped that night, meaning that we had school the next day.  
"What lessons do you have today, mes amis?" Called Laf from the other room.  
"Biology, medicine and art" I yelled back. I saw Alex look at me inquisitively.  
"I didn't know you did art."  
I tentatively reached into my bag and grabbed my sketchbook, turned to the drawing that I did in the park and showed it to Alex. He gently took the book off me and started leafing through the pages.  
"These are amazing." He whispered.  
"With Dr Schuyler?" Asked Laf, interrupting Alex.  
Philip Schuyler, father to the nine Schuyler siblings-Angie, Eliza, Peggy, John, Philip Jr, Rensselaer, Cortlandt, Cornelia and Catherine-all with various bad names (who calls a kid Cortlandt!?), taught biology.  
"Yeah" I yelled back. "Alex has law, English and chem."  
"He'll be meeting the Washingtons then?" Called Herc, joining the conversation.  
"Yeah, I bet they'll be sick of him by the end of the day." I saw Alex shoot a dirty look at me and mutter something under his breath.  
"You know I didn't mean it." I said, flinging my arms around his shoulders. He sighed and smiled.

Our year all had fourth lunch together so Maria grabbed a table and we all sat at it, eating and laughing about what had happened. Apparently, Alex and Jefferson had been debating immigration in law class and Theo had needed to drag Alex back to his seat whilst Burr dragged Jefferson to his. After it had all calmed down, Washington declared Alex the winner, which caused the class to erupt once again into violent chatter. They didn't do much for the rest of that lesson.

All too soon, the bell went, calling us to our last lesson of the day.

"Do any of you have a spare pen?" I said, walking into the living room to find Herc, lounging on a sofa, sewing intricate patterns onto the back of a denim jacket he had made, and denim skirt with a similar design lay on the floor, completed. Alex was sat on the other, furiously scribbling in his exercise book. Laf was sitting cross legged on the floor, hunched over a book full of psycology notes which he was translating from French, without looking, he grabbed a pen and threw it at me. After thanking him, I walked back into the kitchen, sat down at the table and started annotating a anatomical drawing of a turtle for bio.

 **I can't be bothered to write something witty here. See you later, mashed potater.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I got a bit carried away. Thanks to Penny Watson Lafayette for reviewing. Hopefully this will make up for the lack of chapters when school starts.**

The room where it happens

We only had one day in school after the hurricane, because after that, it was the weekend. By eight o'clock I'd eaten, showered and changed into some clean clothes, clean being the main word in that sentence. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth to find Alex in the shower. Shrugging, I turned to the sink, picked up the toothpaste... and was sprayed with a jet of water from the shower head. I turned around, quietly seething, to see Alex doubled over in laughter.  
"Jesus dude, I have somewhere to be. And you know what my hair's like when it's wet."  
I filled a cup with cold water and pulled Alex out of the water stream, before throwing the contents of the cup onto him. He gave a small shriek and jumped back into the warmth.  
"I'll get you, my pretty" He cackled "And your little dog too!"

I grabbed his towel and made an attempt to dry my hair then headed to the bedroom to get changed into something dry.  
Five minutes later, I stood at the door to room 776, I boldly rapped my knuckles on the door and waited for someone to open it. I heard a yell followed by the door being yanked open  
"Hello, my name is elder John, and I would like to share with you this most amazing book."  
Peggy greeted me with a polite  
"Nice to meet you elder John. Come in." She paused for a second  
"Why are you wet?"  
"Alex" I left it as a single word answer until I noticed Peggy smirking at me slyly  
"He sprayed me with the shower"  
She looked a bit disappointed at this but carried on walking until we reached the living room where I found Angie sprawling over an armchair, Theo knelt on the floor, discussing a dress for prom with a cross-legged Herc, and Eliza stretched out on a sofa with Maria sat on her stomach, talking about 'The Reynolds issue' as we had dubbed it. Eliza had her arms wrapped protectively around Maria's waist as she was updated on the situaton. James Reynolds was Maria's boyfriend until she met Eliza, (they hit it off straight away) James had been abusive and manipulative so she left him. He had tried to get her back but had been accused of harassment which ended up with a month long court case which he was losing.

Peggy sat on the floor and dragged me down too, so the seven of us formed a haphazard circle.  
"It's Laffy's birthday tomorrow, what're we gonna do?" Asked Herc in a authoritive sounding tone, which prompted a small snigger from Angelica.  
"Make him as happy as possible?" Suggested Eliza  
"Great plan! It's so well thought out! So detailed! I can't believe none of us thought of that!" Maria said sarcastically, earning a gentle shove from a giggling Eliza.  
"We could do French themed stuff, 'cause, you know, he's French" piped up Theo, causing us all to look at her.  
"The boys could make him croissants or something equally steriotypical for breakfast, sing 'happy birthday' to him, in French and then we could all have a party in here afterwards"  
Hey Pegleg, do ya think you could get some of those nice pastry thingies from work and drop them off at the end of your shift tonight? I'd do it but I don't work weekends." I added, scared that, if she disagreed, Herc, Alex and I would have to cook. And, bearing in mind that Laf was the only cook out of the four of us, it would not end well.  
Angie set to work teaching us how to sing in French. I knew Alex would already know it so I wouldn't have to teach him.  
When Angie was happy with our song, we all traipsed downstairs and climbed into Eliza's minivan that she got when she passed her driving test. We all joked about her being a soccer mom etc but I had to admit, we could fit the whole gang (the residents of room 789 and room 776) into it at once. And I really liked the mystery machine paint job from Scooby Doo.

We parked at the nearest Walmart and walked towards the entrance. Herc grabbed a trolley and, before we could stop them, Maria and Eliza hopped in and looked at Herc expectantly, waiting to be pushed. Angie noticed this and grabbed another trolley, Peggy climbing in this one, this left me and Theo with shopping baskets.

Angie and Herc started running down the aisle, andgaining enough speed, hopped on the back of the trolley, me and Theo running behind, struggling to keep up. We all reached the end of the aisle, laughing, and pulling tongues at the security cameras. We turned onto the frozen food aisle and made our way down it grabbing essentials like a large leg of ham, mini sausages, spring rolls and other party food. On the next aisle, Peggy reached out of the trolley and grabbed a pineapple, cheese and cocktail sticks, almost as though the retrieval was rehearsed. She noticed my look of wonder and smiled

"I always sit in the trolley. You learn to reach out and get what you want when you go past it, removing the need to get out of the trolley." She said, matter-of-fact-ly. I just nodded in amazed agreement.  
We also got tonnes of chips **(crisps!)** and some condiments to dip them in. We got a couple of loaves of bread, a tub of butter and multiple packets of corned beef, Laf's favourite sandwich filler.  
"What's au jus you guys?" Asked Theo from a shelf. "It sounds really French."  
"You put it on meat I think. Said Angie, pushing the trolley up and gesturing for it to be filled with 'au jus'  
By the time we got to the next aisle, both trolleys were full (the girls in them didn't leave us with much space) so it was time for me and Theo to start filling our baskets.  
We got bunting, a pack of a hundred paper plates, a huge packet of those red Solo cups, and a big bag of plastic cutlery. I went to grab a huge chocolate cake before Herc stopped me  
"He prefers crème brulé."  
"I know how to make that!" Squealed Eliza, going quiet when everyone gave her looks ranging from 'uncertain' to 'over my dead body!'  
"Come on!" Eliza yelled, startling Maria, "That was a year ago!"  
Maria gently took her hand  
"How about you make it, and I handle the fire?"  
Eliza folded her arms and sighed, mumbling a quiet 'fine' under her breath. Angie sighed, clearly relieved  
"Crisis averted"

"Jesus Christ! Presents!" Yelled Herc.

We rushed to a separate aisle where Angie grabbed a tin, Peggy vaulted out of the trolley and sprinted towards a rack full of gift cards, she returned with a ten dollar gift card for the cinema. Meanwhile, Theo had ran to the aisle with the food in and returned with a box of microwave popcorn sachets. Maria and Eliza, the two who watched the most movies, went to a huge display of movies and skidded to a stop in front of the French movies, their sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floor. Minutes later, the two returned with 'Amelie', 'Le petit Nicholas' and 'Le bossu de Notre Dame'.  
"I remember watching that are a kid" Said Peggy, gesturing towards 'The hunchback of Notre Dame'  
"But we watched it in English"

All of these went into the basket and Angie explained  
"We basically shove the movies and the popcorn in the tin and add a gift card for the cinema. It's a easy present to make and pretty much everyone likes it.  
I got a book for Alex to give him. He was at home, distracting Laf, though he probably wouldn't get up until noon, giving us five hours. I also grabbed a nice flannel shirt that he had noticed and admired last time we went to Walmart, and a t-shirt with an American flag on it.  
I looked over at Herc, who winked and pushed his trolley towards the checkouts. He probably already had a gift.  
I saw Angie pile a few cases of beer on Peggy's lap. She obviously didn't care but pretended that she was tortured, crying out in mock pain before going limp, her tongue hanging from her mouth.  
"OH MY GOD ANGIE! YOU KILLED HER!" I shouted dramatically  
"How can you tell?!"  
"Well she looks very convincingly dead"  
"YOU'RE GOING TO PRISON ANGELICA SCHUYLER!" Yelled Eliza, joining in, "YOU KILLED MY SISTER!"  
Peggy snorted, shoulders heaving as she struggled to breathe through the laughter, soon, we all joined in.

When the cashier saw us coming he sighed and stood up  
"Oi, Laura! Come help me out!" He yelled and a young looking blonde girl came out of what must have been the staff break room.  
She sighed when she saw how much we had and sat down at a till.  
"Excuse me please miss," She said to Angelica, "please can youand that boy with the basket" (pointed to me) "come here. Everyone else go to Chris."

The first thing that got scanned through was the beer. Laura looked at Angie who obligingly showed her identification. Everything else went easily through. Angie packed one trolley-load of stuff while Herc packed the other. Eliza paying with the money we had all provided.

It was a small miracle that we could fit everything and everyone into the mystery machine, and once we got home, it was an even bigger miracle to get everything up eight flights of stairs. It took several trips to get everything into the girls' room and then Eliza and Maria set to work making the crème brulé. The plan was to make it today and cook it tomorrow. Peggy cut up the pineapple and cheese and skewered a piece of each onto each cocktail stick. These were placed on a huge tray in the fridge. The ham was covered in the au jus sauce and put in the oven. It would be served cold and sliced at the party. Theo was putting all of the other frozen stuff into the freezer.  
Herc and I were making the corned beef sandwiches. I would butter the bread, Herc would put a slice of corned beef on it on cut the sandwiches into little triangles, which were put on a tray that ended up joining the cheese-n-pineapple in the fridge. It was like a factory. Angie was in the living room wrapping presents for us and when we walked in we found our gifts wrapped and cards laid out for us to write in. I pushed my card away, I had already drawn one for Laf, which I hoped he would like.  
We had finished by eleven o'clock so we said bye to the girls and headed up to our room.

 **Try spot the 'Book of Mormon' reference ;). By the way, I would recommend Le Petit Nicholas. I think it's on Netflix. Laffy's actual historical birthday is the 6th of September.**


	10. Chapter 10

Burn

We walked in to find Alex playing on his phone and a newspaper on the coffee table. Alex pointed in the general direction and said  
"Some idiot is trying to make gay marriage illegal."  
Herc strode over and picked it up, a look of pure fury on his face.  
"Some guy called Henry Laurens" Alex continued, not looking up from his phone.  
Herc dropped the paper and turned to me, sensing the tense silence, Alex looked up at me, before standing up, a lookin quizzically at me.  
"Does it mention his children?" I growled, teeth clenched, jaw set and hands balled up in tight fists at my side.  
"I don't know. I didn't read it. All I know is that the senator for South Carolina , Henry Laurens, has started a petition to ban gay marriage. Why?"  
I ignored his question and turned to Herc, who had been scanning the article for any mention of the kids.  
"Yo, John, it says here 'Laurens does not support the LGBTQ+ community. This may be controversial in many states but Laurens is taking some extreme measures. He claims to have disowned his eldest son and his other children, including a miss Martha Laurens have expressed opposing views to that of their father.'"  
"Anything else?" I prompted  
"Nothing"  
I snatched the paper from Herc's hand and ripped out the part that had been read to me. It would be framed and hung on my wall as a way to preserve Martha's bravery. I knew better than anyone what Henry could do when upset.  
Seething, I stalked into Laf and Herc's bedroom and tore the blanket off Laf. He looked at me questioningly  
"Henry" I hissed. Laf sat up like he had been electrocuted and threw his clothes on. He placed a hand on my shoulder, a sympathetic look on his face. We walked back into the living room to find the page with the article ripped out and Herc and Alex stood by the open door.

I stood at the door Jefferson's room and banged my fist against it, not caring what they would say. Jefferson opened the door and looked at the four of us in disgust until Herc held up the article in silence. His face darkened.  
"James! Aaron! Get here right now!" He hollered, reaching for his coat.  
The seven of us then stomped down the stairs and knocked on the girls' door. Eliza opened it and, at seeing the article, kicked the doorframe, uttering profanities under her breath. She called for everyone else to come and eventually we all stood outside the building in the chilly September wind. Angie passed a lighter to me, her free hand on Eliza's shoulder in a failed attempt to keep her calm. I heard Burr whisper a quick instruction to Alex, who had never been part of this before.  
"Three, Two, One!" I counted, spitting on the article after I got to one, along with everyone else. I leant forwards and set the paper alight with the lighter.  
"I hope you frickin' burn." I whispered to no-one in particular. I then grabbed Alex and pulled him into a long passionate kiss as an act of defiance, Herc and Laf followed suit, then Theo and Burr (who technically weren't LGBTQ+ but I was thankful anyway), Maria and Eliza and Jefferson and Madison leaving only Peggy and Angie who shrugged and hugged in a stereotypically sisterly fashion.

"My dear Laurens," He murmured "It might be in my power, by actions rather than words to convince you that I truly love you. Would you go to prom with me?"  
I smiled down at him and planted a gentle kiss on his lips  
"It would be a pleasure."

 **Awwww!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I genuinely cannot be bothered but I promised myself to upload on Laffy's birthday.**

The story of tonight (reprise)

Laf woke up at half seven on his birthday, leaping out of his bed like an overexcited three year old on Christmas. We'd all woken up at six in order to be ready so when we heard him thudding around in his room, we all rushed to our places. Herc in the center and me and Alex at his sides.

"Les gars! Les Gars! C'est mon anniversaire!"  
(Guys! Guys! It's my birthday!)  
He burst into the room, eyes wide with excitement. He saw us with bunting behind us and presents in our hands!  
"Mon Dieu! Pour moi?!"  
(My God! For me?!)  
Herc grinned and pulled him into a strong hug.  
"Happy birthday Mon Amour."

 **BTW, thanks for all the reviews.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hope you enjoy.**

Say no to this

"Wait! What!?" Shrieked Laf  
"Vous vous rendez á bal avec moi?" Asked Herc hesitantly, struggling to remember the words in French.

 _Will you go to prom with me?_

"Of course, mon coeur! I thought you'd never ask!"  
I looked at Alex and smiled, they were good for each other. He smiled back at me and misinterpreted it as impatient.  
"Bon anniversaire pour vous, bon anniversaire pour vous, bon anniversaire cher Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Bon anniversaire pour vous!" We all joined in to sing his name (which was very difficult to remember) whilst Alex sung the rest.  
We sat Laf down on the couch and handed him a croissant smothered in nutella with a candle sticking lopsidedly out of it. He promptly blew it out, pulled it out and started to devour the pastry. Alex produced the first gift and Laf eagerly tore at the paper.  
"Mon Dieu! I have wanted this for the longest time!" He exclaimed brandishing Romeo and Juliet. Alex smiled obligingly and looked expectantly at me and Herc. I stepped forward next and handed over his presents, which he tore open and immediately put on in place of his current shirt. I gotta say, he pulled off the look flawlessly. I also handed him a card with a picture that I drew, showing him and his sister Adrienne. He smiled at my interpretation of the familiar picture and drew me into a hug, thanking me profusely.

Herc went last and handed over a floppy package and a padded envelope. Laf pulled at the package first and found a denim jacket with his name and a big French flag embroidered skillfully on the back. He stood for a minute, marvelling at the fabric in his hands before slowly pulling it on. It was maybe a size too big, but designed this way so Laf could still look stylish and Wear whatever he wanted underneath it. Not to mention that it was common knowledge that Laf liked oversized jackets. He carefully pulled a wad of paper from the envelope. The top one was a card from Herc. Underneath that he found a small booklet that Herc had handwritten in loopy writing and stapled together. He turned the first page and found 'IOU one visit to the cinema.' followed by 'I will do your homework once.' and multiple others along these lines. The last couple of sheets looked like Herc's design homework but turned out to be designs for Laf's suit for prom. He sifted through until he came to a pair of slim black trousers with a matching suit jacket that tapered into curved coat tails at the back. It featured a pure white shirt and a ruffled cravat as well as knee high boots that the trousers were tucked away in. Herc smiled and nodded when Laf pointed to the design eagerly. He would set to work when we got back from the girls' room. We padded down to the seventh floor and knocked. Eliza flung the door open and everyone yelled  
"SURPRISE!"

Long story short, Laf loved the movie box and the party. Everything passed without incident and the food was excellent.

 **Any ideas for future chapters? I'll try write them in if you have any.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm sorry it's been so long. I've had schoold and stuff.**

 **WARNING: Theo swears at one point. Nothing too serious.**

Best of wives and best of women

"Alex! Come back to sleep." I whined from my bed

"I've got a early meeting before school."  
"But it's still dark outside."  
"I've know, I can't get out of it."  
"It's cold without you."  
"Shhhhh"  
"Come back. Please. That would be enough."  
"I'll be back before you know I'm gone"  
I got up and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.  
"Come back to sleep"  
He turned and placed a kiss on the top of my head  
"I've gotta go."  
"Well I'm going back to sleep" I grumbled with a yawn, trudging back towards the bed. He walked over and tucked me in, kissing me on the cheek  
"See you later, best of guys and best of boyfriends"  
I nuzzled into the blankets, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, and relishing a few minutes of warmth before I would be getting up.

He returned about an hour later, with his hair out of the bun that he usually put it in. He flopped down onto the couch and stretched out.  
"Jesus, I'm tired."  
I looked at him suspiciously.  
"Where were you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible. He was really energetic before he went out, and I knew he wasn't at the gym because he didn't have a membership.  
"I was at the library, getting Moby Dick for English class."  
Lies. We already had Moby Dick on the bookshelf in our room.  
"When's it due back?" I hoped he'd say it...  
"Um, maybe a couple of days." He stuttered  
Yes! There it was!  
"Well," I started, "let's see it. They write the due date in it. You don't want to be handing it in late. Do you?"  
"Well, I've not exactly got it right now." He said, sitting up.  
I shot up from the armchair where I was sat, my sketchbook falling from my lap and the pencil clattering on the floor next to it, but right now I didn't care.  
"You went to the library and got a book which you don't have anymore?! We already have Moby Dick!" I yelled.  
"Look, John, I can explain."  
"No! I don't care what you have to say! You lied Alex!" My voice dropped dangerously to a menacing whisper  
"You lied to me."

I swooped down and grabbed my sketchbook before stalking towards our room. I grabbed my school bag and shoved my sketchbook into it, hesitating before also shoving a clean shirt and a couple of pairs of boxers in too. I just needed to get away and calm down a little. I grabbed a post-it and scribbled a note for Laf and Herc telling them where I was going. I wouldn't be gone long, hopefully no more than a day, but I couldn't be here right now. I practicality threw the bag over my shoulder and pulled Moby Dick off the shelf. With a loud bang, I slammed the book on the coffee table in front of a bewildered Alex and stomped towards the door, not caring what the people downstairs thought, and slammed it behind me.

Theo was an early bird, and I hoped she wouldn't mind talking to me. I knocked on the door and wasn't surprised when she pulled it open. She knew immediately that something was up, I wouldn't be there at seven in the morning if nothing was wrong. She stepped aside and beckoned me in. I sat down on the couch and hugged one of the cushions that Herc had made for a birthday years ago while she put the kettle on and made two cups of coffee. About two minutes later, I was cradling a cup of coffee in my hands, with a mouthful of shortbread. Eliza made the best shortbread in New York.  
"What's wrong?"  
I looked into her kind, welcoming eyes, edged with concern.  
And promptly burst into tears.  
"A-Alex." I sobbed, salty tears running down my freckled cheeks.  
"I'm gonna kill him" She exclaimed,  
"I'm gonna frickin' kill him"  
She turned to me and clasped my hand in hers, using the other to wipe my eyes.  
"What the hell did that bastard do?" She asked, obviously ready to kill something.  
I recounted the events of that morning, watching her eyes widen at the blatant lies he had been telling.  
"So, what are you gonna do? You can crash on the couch 'til it all blows over."  
"Or you could go and talk to him" Suggested Maria, sitting down next to me. I had noticed her lingering in the doorframe a while ago. She was dressed in an old flannel shirt that came midway down her thighs showing her long tanned legs, her hair cascading over her shoulders. It was pretty obvious why Eliza was so into her, not to mention her being really smart.

"We'll come with you." Said Eliza. She probably woke up when Maria got up and was in the process of brushing her long dark hair. She was already dressed in a light blue tank top and a pair of cargo shorts.  
"You should probably get dressed though 'Ri" She said, looking pointedly at Maria.  
"Thanks Eliza, 'cause I was definitely going outside like this. Love the nickname by the way." She retorted sarcastically.  
I looked over at Theo who sniggered,  
"Ri and Liza, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."  
I caught a devilish glint flicker across Maria's eyes for a second  
"Seeing as though my new name has stuck, I hope you won't mind being called Lizard for a while." Eliza turned beet red and started laughing.  
"Of course not."

 **Don't get too mad at Alex, I'll hopefully upload tomorrow at some point. Bye!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Told you I'd upload ;). By the way, did you know that in** ** _My shot_** **Herc says he's got them in loco parentis? He's basically saying that he's the mom friend.**

Congratulations

Theo crashed through the door and strode over to Alexander, seizing the front of his shirt with one hand and dragging him to his feet. She raised her other hand in preparation to punch him but was stopped when Maria and Eliza grabbed an arm each and pulled her back.

I looked at Alex and frowned. Herc and Laf must have been trying to console him and I could see the streak marks that tears had made down his cheeks. His eyes were red and swollen and it took me a great deal of self restraint not to go and hug him.  
"What the hell did you do?!" Spat Theo.  
He turned to face me and hung his head in shame  
"I-I'm sorry John." He started, his voice hitching. I cut him off.  
"Wow. Congratulations Hamilton. The day before prom and everything. You just couldn't tell me the truth." I spat, my words venomous, getting louder and louder as I progressed.  
"I WAS TRYING TO SURPRISE YOU!" He yelled, clearly losing his temper.

Oh god. I'd made a mistake.

I felt my eyes well up. I was wrong about everything.  
"I can't dance" came his voice from across the room "I was learning. For the prom. For you."  
I looked up to find him stood about a foot or so away from me. He placed one hand on my hip and the cupped my cheek with the other, wiping my tears away with his thumb before stepping closer so our bodies were pressed together. My head on his shoulder and my arms wrapped around his chest. I could feel him reach up reach up and pulled my hair out of the bun, which cascaded down my back and into his waiting hands. He then proceeded to absentmindedly play with it, allowing his fingers to dance nimbley through the curls. I lifted my head and placed it close to his, our noses touching, and he tilted his chin towards me so we were kissing. It was slow and passionate, his tongue dancing around with mine. We broke apart minutes later, out of breath and panting.  
"I'm sorry Alex, it was stupid of me to jump to conclu-"  
I was interrupted by another, shorter kiss.  
"Don't be." He murmured.

 **See? Everything worked out in the end.**


End file.
